Glass bottle making machinery, especially the well-known Individual Section or I.S. machine, usually comprises a number of separate pneumatically operated mechanisms which operate in sequence in the manufacture of a bottle. Examples of such mechanism are the baffle mechanism, the funnel mechanism, mould opening and closing, the blow head mechanism etc.
Very heavy demands are made on the pneumatic mechanisms in the operation of the machine: firstly they are required to operate at high speed, to achieve the desired production rates. At the same time effective cushioning must be provided at the ends of the strokes of the mechanism to reduce wear and vibration. Further it is desirable to be able to adjust the speed and cushioning of the mechanism. With conventional mechanisms such adjustments have necessitated manual adjustments to needle valves incorporated in the machines, a task which is difficult and dangerous.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pneumatically operated mechanism for use in a glass bottle making machine.